Black Fire
by Vanillaasunshine
Summary: The story of a young women from Morrowind that suddenly plays a major part in a chain of events that will one day become a legend.
1. Chapter 1

"_Mom, why are we moving?" _

"_Well, we think it'll be a much nicer place than Morrowind. I thought you wanted to move?" Evilila watched her mother hurriedly pack the contents of her wardrobe, stuffing things into the bright red sack. Lately, her parents had been acting strange; ever since the volcano erupted in Vivec City, _everyone _had been acting strangely. _"_I want to stay here with my friends," Evilila stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, clinging even tighter to the tattered doll her grandmother had made her. "I hate Skyrim."_

"_How can you say that! You've never even been to Skyrim," her mother closed the bag and looked over at Evilila, who was standing in the doorway of her parent's room. "I know it's cold and I hate the cold," she pouted. Her mother laughed and walked towards her to embrace her. "Evilila… We have to leave Morrowind. It's not safe here anymore. Do you understand?" Evilila shook her head and stared intently into her mother's eyes. Her mother sighed and walked back to the sack she was packing. "Come along, the carriage is waiting for us outside." _

…_._

The carriage was jostled by a bump in the road, causing Evilila to be jolted awake. Blinking away the light, she looked around the carriage only to see three men sitting next to her. The air was cold and the harsh wind stung her face, causing her eyes to water and her face to flush slightly. "Hey, you," the harsh voice of the Nord in front of her caused her to jump, and she quickly turned her gaze towards him. "You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us. And that thief over there," Evilila glanced over at whom she assumed the Nord was referring to. The thief started to say something back to him, but the conversation just faded to the background as she tried to recollect the past few days. Evilila was snapped back to reality when she heard the Imperial guard order the prisoners out of the carriages. Slowly rising to her feet, Evilila stared intently at her captors', still trying to figure out what was happening. One by one, her fellow inmates were called and sent to stand near the block until she was the only one remaining.

"You there, step forward." Evilila stepped towards the two Imperial guards cautiously, not wanting to give them a reason to pull a blade on her. "Who are you?" the guard demanded, looking her up and down like she was a piece of horker meat. _"_Evilila Athrrilo," her voice came out raspy and weak, due to the numerous days she had gone by without sufficient food or water. Even though she had been in Skyrim since she was a child, her accent had never seemed to fade away; probably because the only people she truly interacted with were her parents. "Captain, she doesn't seem to be on the list..." the man flipped through the book he had in his hands, searching intently for her name. "Forget the list, she goes to the block," the other Imperial barked. The man gave Evilila a look of fleeting pity before ordering her to go stand next to her fellow prisoners. Her stomach clenched and unclenched as she stared at the blood-stained chopping block a few feet from her. She began to murmur a soft plea to the Divines, begging them to save her from this gruesome fate. This couldn't be her destiny, it just couldn't be. There had to be some mistake.

The storm-cloak to her right walked towards the chopping block when he was called, dropping to his knees and placing his head on it. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" the words of the Nord were drenched in venom as he glared up at his executioner. _Look away, look away, _Evilila warned herself as she watched in horror the axe being raised by the executioner. The axe cut through the air with a zing, quickly reaching the neck of the Nord and slicing through it like butter. Vile filled her mouth as she watched the head roll into the basket; the body still spurting blood into the air, drenching the stone around it. "Next, the dark elf in the rags!" Evilila looked at the Imperial captain, her heart rate began to accelerate as she began to realize this was it. All of a sudden, a strange sound filled the air around them; sending a chill down the Dark Elf's spine. "I _said _next prisoner!" Slowly, Evilila walked to the chopping block and dropped to her knees. The Imperial captain placed a foot on her back, forcing her to put her face on the block. The overwhelming smell of fresh blood hit her nostrils suddenly, causing Evilila to gag, and shut her eyes tightly. _Please… _

"_What _in Oblivion is _that?!" _A loud thud caused the ground below Evilila to vibrate, making her eyes fly open to see the very thing of legends not 10 feet away from her.

A dragon. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. It really means a lot to me as this is the first story I have ever published on Fanfiction. Please continue to leave reviews; it really helps me when I get an outside opinion. If you have any suggestions or simply want to say, "hey" feel free to message me.

Chapter Two

I'll never get used to this weather,_ Evilila thought to herself as she pulled her shawl tightly around her. Her mother had gone to retrieve more goods to sell and had told Evilila to mind the stand for her. "After all, you are 12 now. You have to learn to manage the family business," her mother had said with a faded smile that no longer seemed to belong to her. It had been so long since she had seen father; he said he would write every day, but his promises were always so easily forgotten. Evilila sighed and put her elbows on the stand, her head held between her fists. _Why couldn't I have gone with dad?_ She had always wanted to see the College of WInterhold; after all, Evilila aspired to become a mage one day like her father. Her mother greatly disapproved, however, saying that it is dangerous to study magic in a place like Skyrim. Sleep tugged at the young Dark Elf's eyes, causing her to slump down a little more. Her eyes flutter closed, as she was pulled into a dream of going on long adventures; casting spells and defeating evil sorcerers. _

"_Hey, wake up!" Evilila opened her eyes reluctantly, and looked at the small Nord boy staring at her in amusement. "Yes?" she sighed. It was such a lovely dream, even though it was short lived. "My mom sent me to buy some bread," the boy said proudly, holding out a few septims. Evilila groaned and once again rested her head in her hands. "Dontcha know you're supposed to ask how much it is and _then _pay?" The boy furrowed his brow, contemplating what she had just said before pulling his hand away; his cheeks quickly turning red. "Well, uh, how much is it then?" he asked, his confidence gone."Two septims per loaf," Evilila smiled. He wasn't too bad. For a Nord anyway._

...

The dragon stood ridged on the tower before her, watching her and studying her with what she thought to be great interest. Evilila studied him, amazed by how beautiful and powerful this creature is. He truly was the thing of legends. The guards around her raced towards the dragon, unsheathing their weapons and firing arrows at them. The dragon broke the eye contact between Evilila and him, and stared in fury at the Imperials yelling and shooting at him. Puffing himself up, the dragon roared what sounded like a word in a strange language sending everyone flying back. Evilila fell off the chopping block and onto the hard, blood-stained stone, hitting her head with a dull thud that caused her to see darkness for a few seconds. Everything around her seemed to be in an eerie shade of red when she opened her eyes, and sound seemed to be muffled and distant. Evilila pushed herself off the ground, stumbling and shaking furiously. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, sending adrenaline through her veins at an alarming rate. Her eyes locked on a tower in front of her that was still intact and she immediately started to race towards it. Letting out a cry of pain, Evilila dropped to the ground and gripped her leg. She looked down only to see a wound leaking red all the way down her calf and into her shoe, a great contrast between her ashy grey skin and the bright red blood pouring from it.

Suddenly, two arms picked her up and carried her to the tower like she weighed no more than a sack of flour (which she might have, seeing as she was so mal-nourished and dehydrated). She was set on the cold floor of the tower gently, allowing her to finally see her savior. It was one of the guards, no, _the _guard that had looked for her name on the list. "Are you alright? I saw you fall and I…" his face paled as his eyes saw the blood seeping through her fingers as she attempted to put pressure on the wound, but to no avail. Without hesitation, the Imperial got up and ripped the tattered banner off the wall and proceeded to wrap it tightly around Evilila's leg making her hiss in pain. "Come on now, get up. We have to get out of here!" He pulled her up off the ground and started pulling her to the door. With every step that she took, it felt like fire was shooting up her leg. Blinking tears out of her eyes and biting down on her lip, she followed the man into the inferno waiting for them outside.

The next few hours were all a blur to Evilila; a tangled mess of fire and smoke and screams of agony that may or may not have belonged to her. Somewhere along the way, she had collapsed; probably due to loss of blood and all the pain she was in. When she finally came to, she felt grass tickling her nose and heard the roaring sound of a river nearby. Evilila opened her black eyes and scanned the sunbathed scenery displayed in front of her. She had to admit, Skyrim was beautiful in its own way. "You're up,"  
The elf looked up and saw the guard standing behind her, carrying what seemed to be some clothes and food. Her stomach growled painfully in response, urging her to take the much needed food. The Imperial sat down next to where she was laying and handed her a piece of bread and cheese. "I'm sorry; it was all I could… Huh, you sure were hungry," he said as he watched her ravenously consume the food given to her; barely giving herself time to chew. "I'll go get us some water from the river," he put down some bandages next to her. "You should try changing those rags from that cut. Don't want it to become infected, do we?" he gave her a small smile before pushing himself off the ground and starting to walk towards the sound of rushing water. He stopped and looked back at her, opening and shutting his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words. "I'm Hadvar," he finally said. "Oh, uh, I'm Evilila," she said, embarrassed, after realizing he was waiting for her to say her name. "Evilila… What a pretty name," Hadvar said before continuing to walk to the river.

Evilila stared after him for a while before returning her attention to the bandages Hadvar had left for her. _This will be fun, _she thought ruefully as she looked down at the tattered fabric wrapped around her thigh. Gingerly, she unwrapped the fabric; exposing it to the cold Nord air. She gasped inwardly as the pain once again shot up and down her leg, making her hands clench into fists. Shakily, Evilila reached over for the fresh bandages and started to wrap them around the cut. After much aggravation with calming herself down so she could finish tying the bandages, Evilila collapsed into the grass and breathed in the fresh air; simply happy to be alive. Footsteps caused her to sit back up and smile as she saw Hadvar approaching her with a canteen. "Here," he said, thrusting the canteen towards her. "Drink as much as you need." Evilila drank as much water as she could, her stomach still trying to get used to having this much contents inside of it. Pouring a little into her hand, Evilila washed her face giving her a sense of refreshment and cleanliness. "Thank you," she said as she handed the canteen back to Hadvar. "For everything." The elf rose to her feet and smiled gratefully at Hadvar. "You're… You're not leaving are you?" he said, his voice full of worry and disappointment. "My uncle lives in Riverwood, and it's just down the road. If you want, you could meet me there. You could get some supplies and rest," he brushed some of his brown hair out of his eyes and waited for her reply, secretly hoping she'd say yes.

"I'm grateful, really I am. But I think I should be on my way; I've caused you enough trouble," she said as she began to walk down the path away from Helgen. "It was my pleasure…" he said as he watched her walk away. _I wish you would stay with me _Hadvar thought to himself. He was quite stricken by the Dark Elf, but she obviously didn't feel the same way he did. "Goodbye, Hadvar. Maybe our paths will cross again someday," she said. "I await that day, my lady," he said, smiling shyly at her. Evilila blushed a little at his words, and nodded her head. "As do I."


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **

Hey guys, it's me. I'm so, so, so, so, _so _sorry that I haven't been able to publish a new chapter recently! My life has been pretty hectic and I have found myself getting home/ finishing homework close to midnight recently. The weekend it coming up, however (woohoo!) so I will be posting the new chapter no later than Saturday! Stay tuned until then, and thank you so much to everyone reading my work. It really means a lot to me

In the meant time, if you guys have any suggestions or comments on my work please tell me about it! Feedback is very important to me and it really helps me know what I'm doing right and wrong.  
For those of you wondering, yes I have started the new chapter (with tons of help from Vilinturuth; you all should definitely check his work out) and don't worry, it's about 3 pages long.

Again, thank you all so much and stay tuned for the new chapter!

~Vanillaasunshine


	4. Chapter 3

"_Ma? I'm home!"  
The door slammed shut as the small girl stumbled into the house, still trying to catch her breath from running home. She had just barely made her curfew, though she didn't know how she managed to. Evilila looked down at her mud-streaked dress and grimaced. Her mother had made this dress for her and it was so beautiful that Evilila just had to show it off today. She hadn't asked for permission, as she knew her mother would object to her wearing such a nice dress with no special reason. Evilila couldn't think of any special occasions in which she would get to wear the dress and she didn't want such a lovely dress to just hang in the back of her wardrobe forever. How she had managed to get the dress so dirty was a mystery to her, though it might've had something to do with her playing near the riverside and stomping in the puddles that had accumulated from the melted snow. _

_Holding her muddy, worn-out boots in hand, Evilila looked around the downstairs of the house. The small hearth that usually crackled with fire was cold and dark, and the whole house suddenly seemed empty and sullen. All at once, Evilila felt alone and even a little scared.  
"Ma? Where are you?" The girl walked up the narrow stairs, causing the silent house to be filled with the resonating sound of creaking every time she put the slightest pressure on the wooden boards. She didn't want to make too much noise, just in case her mother was simply taking a nap. Her mother had recently contracted what seemed to be a bad case of the Rattles, and she needed her rest if she was to get better. Still thinking she should check on her, Evilila pushed open the slightly ajar door to her parents room to find her mother sitting on the bed; she held tightly to her chest what appeared to be a framed picture while she cried softly. _

"_What's wrong…?" she asked shakily, inching closer to the bed. Her mother raised her head and gave Evilila an empty smile. "Sweetie… Come here," she said gently, her voice hoarse and low. The young girl furrowed her brow and crossed the cramped room to her mother and sat next to her. She studied her mother's face, searching for a reason behind all these tears. Evilila hated to see her mother like in this state, and it was starting to make her tear up even though she didn't know why she was crying just yet.  
"Your father-" Evilila's eyes widened slightly, a thousand scenarios rushing through her head all at once. As she looked into her mother's eyes, all she could find was her own reflection; it was as if her mother wasn't even there anymore, just a shell of her former self.  
"Your father is dead." _

…

The chilly air of Hearthfire blew lazily throughout the streets of Falkreath, rustling the tall pine forest surrounding the small town. The sun was starting to rise, stirring the small town from its slumber.  
Evilila scrunched up her face and pulled the covers over her face with a groan as she heard the tavern below her come back to life. _It's not even high noon and those drunken bastards are already coming in for a pint? _Reluctantly, the elf pushed the covers off herself and sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. Her back ached and her neck felt stiff and sore from the hard mattress the inn had provided her. Making a silent promise to herself that she'll find _somewhere_ else to sleep soon, Evilila got up and started to get dressed. Still weighed down by sleep, she managed to get downstairs to buy herself breakfast for yet another day of work. Even though she absolutely despised her employer, Bolund, it was the only job she could find and she intended to do her best.

"There you are, Elf. I've been waiting here for hours," he snarled. Evilila knew very well that she was on time and wanted to tell him she had a name, but instead bit her tongue and gave him a forced smile. "Here," he said handing her an ax. "Go chop me some wood so that I can fill out that order to Whiterun. And try to hurry it up, okay?" Taking the ax, the maiden answered with a simple "Aye" before making her way to the side of the mill where the Nord had laid out the wood for her to chop. _And what does he do up there all day, besides sip mugs of Black-Briar mead and eat? _She thought begrudgingly as she channeled all her frustration to chop the pieces of wood.

After a few long hours, she had finished._ Done, finally, _Evilila thought as she wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. The sun had already set and the twin moons shone brightly above her, creating a somewhat eerie glow of light. It was always like this; Evilila working from dawn until dusk while Bolund just sat in his office reading books on the female anatomy.  
Struggling to carry the large stack of wood, the women made her way back to the lumber mill and placed the lumber next to another stack. "I finished, Bolund. Is there anything else for me to do?" she breathed out, leaning against the railing. "'Bout time too. Thought it was going to take all night," he grumbled as he examined the lumber. "Humph. I guess it's late… I'll do the rest of this you go on home," Bolund said with his back to her. Evilila took his advice and went back to the inn, she was desperately in need of a pint of ale and some food. The hearth inside the inn cast a warm glow, beckoning her in from the chilly night air. With a sigh of relief, she took a seat near the warmth of the fire; savoring the flavor of the cool ale in her mug. It had been a long day, and all she wanted to do was sit back and relax in complete, utter-  
"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"  
Evilila looked up to see a tall Khajiit with long, dark fur standing before her. His blue eyes sparkled mischievously in the dim lighting the fire cast, while his voice seemed calm and collected. He wore heavy ebony armor that had a few scratches here and there, but other than that it seemed almost brand new. The most interesting thing about him was his weapon. Two steel scimitars that were sharpened to a wicked blade with a black handle to match his armor.  
She nodded and the cat sat down next to her, leaning back in his seat. Evilila studied him closely out of the corner of her eye. He had high cheek bones and a very strong jawline. He seemed to be in his early 20's, but then again, Evilila was always bad at guessing people's age.

"See something you like, lass?"  
Evilila's eyes widened and she immediately felt heat rising to her face. "N-no, that's not it at all, I swear, I wasn't-"The Khajiit chuckled a bit and shook his head slightly. "I'm only teasing. You should learn not to take things so seriously," he purred. The Dark Elf narrowed her black eyes and gave him a cold stare before turning away from him. _How dare he, that, that stupid…  
_"Hey now, don't be too mad. I was only kidding," He said with a smile tugging at his lips.  
"I'm Do'virr. Do you have a name, lass?" Evilila looked back at Do'virr with a look of annoyance.  
"Evilila," she said, not even trying to hide the exasperation in her voice.  
"No need to be hostile, I just wanted something to call you. Now, what are you doing in Falkreath?" Do'virr looked at her, his expression serious once again. His eyes seemed to have an amused glint in them still, however.  
"You know, I could ask you the same thing," she said, avoiding the question. Evilila had always been to herself, never really wanting to share anything about her except with those close to her. In the past, the only people she had been close to were her parents; but her father had moved to the Winterhold when she was only nine, so really the only person she could talk to was her mother.  
"An excellent question, my dear," the Khajiit said with a wink. "I decided to stop in this town to gather some supplies. You see, I'm heading to Winterhold for ah... Well now, I think I've said too much. Besides, you're not interested in any of that, now are you? A pretty girl like you, I bet you have better things to do than talk to a dirty Khajiit like me." Do'virr smirked and casually took a sip out of his mug, looking back at the hearth. Evilila's mind was racing; going to Winterhold and seeing the college had always been a dream of hers, one that she had almost forgotten ever since her father…

"Wait I… I am interested," she said, embarrassed that she was asking this self-centered flirt of a Khajiit for help.  
"Hm, well now this is interesting. The feisty Dark Elf is telling Do'virr that is she is, in fact, interested in traveling with him?" the amused tone in his voice was even more pronounced now that Evilila had shown an interest in him.  
"I'm only interested in Winterhold, cat. Not you," she spat, blushing lightly. Evilila had to admit, he wasn't too bad to look at and his personality probably made all the female Khajiits want to crawl into bed with him.  
"Well then, we'll leave tomorrow!" Do'virr put his now empty mug down and got up, turning to look at the Dark Elf. "I expect you do be packed and ready by five," and with that, Evilila was left sitting alone in front of the hearth, wondering if this was the right decision. She didn't even tell him she wanted to go with him, he had just assumed! Practically fuming with annoyance, Evilila stormed off to her bedroom to pack. After all, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to study magic, even if it meant traveling with someone like Do'virr.

**Authors Note:**  
Well, that took long enough! Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I'm trying really hard to work on that. A big shout-out and thank you to Vilinturuth for helping me with this chapter and my writing overall. His Elder scroll stories are awesome and you all should check them out.  
Don't forget to give me some feedback on my work, I love hearing what you all have to say about it! If you have any suggestions or you feel like I could be doing something better, leave a review or PM me. Thank you all for staying with me for this long, and the next chapter will be up soon!


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